Eyes Wide Shut

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INT BILL & ALICE'S APT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

It is a week before Christmas. The tree is decorated and Christmas

cards stand open everywhere in the comfortable Central Park West

apartment.

Settled into the couch in the living room, watching TV, are seven

year-old , HELENA, and the BABY-SITTER, a young college girl.

BEDROOM:

BILL and ALICE HARFORD, an attractive couple in their thirties, are

in evening clothes preparing to leave for a party.

ALICE (looking in mirror)

How do I look?

BILL:

You look great.

ALICE:

My hair okay?

BILL:

Perfect.

ALICE:

You're not even looking at it.

Bill kisses her neck.

BILL:

It's absolutely beautiful. You always

look beautiful.

ALICE:

Oh, shut up... OK, let's go.

They walk into the living room. The baby sitter gets to her feet.

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BABY-SITTER

Oh, you look so-ooo lovely, Mrs.

Harford.

ALICE (laughs)

Thank you, Roz.

(to Helena)

All ready for bed?

HELENA:

Yes, Mommy. I took my bath and

brushed my teeth.

AD-LIBS of praise as BILL and ALICE kiss HELENA goodnight.

BABY-SITTER

What time do you want Helena to go to

bed?

HELENA:

Please, Mommy, can I stay up late

tonight and watch the (name of TV

show) Ple-eease.

ALICE:

When is it on?

HELENA:

Ten-thirty.

ALICE:

Okay, darling, but just for tonight.

HELENA:

Thank you, Mommy.

The house intercom rings. BILL goes to answer it.

DOORMAN (VOICE)

Doctor Harford?

BILL:

Yes.

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DOORMAN:

The car is here.

BILL:

OK, we'll be right down.

Bill returns to sitting room.

BILL:

OK the car's here - let's go.

(to Baby-sitter)

Roz, we might be late tonight but I'll

hold the car to take you home.

BABY-SITTER

Oh, that's great, Doctor Harford.

Thanks very much.

AD-LIBS of Good nights and have a good time.

EXT HIRED CAR DRIVE-BY (CPW TO 5TH) - NIGHT (2nd Unit)

INT CAR - NIGHT

BILL takes ALICE's hand and gives her a loving wink.

EXT ZIEGLER MIDTOWN MANSION - NIGHT

BILL'S car pulls up behind a stretch limo.

INT CAR - NIGHT

The driver hands Bill a clip board with a form attached to it.

DRIVER:

Can you sign this, Doctor?

The doorman, carrying an umbrella, opens the car door.

BILL (signing)

Okay, thanks..

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DRIVER:

Thanks. (handing his card) Just phone

about half hour before you want to be

picked up.

BILL:

OK. Fine.

DRIVER:

Have a good evening.

BILL and ALICE exit the car and enter the house.

INT ZIEGLER MANSION - NIGHT

Big party already in progress.

Sound of a dance band off.

Many guests still arriving.

Two ladies seated at a table confirm that Doctor and Mrs Harford are

on the invitation roster.

Their coats are taken.

The hosts, VICTOR ZIEGLER, a fit, sun-tanned, man in his mid-fifties,

and his wife, ILLONA, a Hungarian beauty, stand to one side

greeting their guests in the large entrance hall.

ZIEGLER (speaking above the noise)

Bill!...Alice!... I'm so glad you could

come. It's wonderful to see you both,

AD-LIBS of further greetings while they shake hands and kiss on both

cheeks.

ZIEGLER:

And Alice, my dear, forgive the pitiful

understatement but you look totally

beautiful.

Victor and Alice exchange if-there-was-world-enough-and-time

smiles.

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ZIEGLER:

And Bill, that osteopath you sent me

to? He was wonderful. You should see

my serve now.

BILL:

Yes, he's the top man in the world.

ANOTHER FABULOUS ROOM - A LITTLE LATER

BILL and ALICE, carrying champagne glasses make their way through

the glitterati.

They stop to admire the 17 foot Christmas tree trimmed with colored

lights and antique ornaments.

BALLROOM - BILL & ALICE DANCING

BILL's attention is caught by one of the musicians on the bandstand.

BILL:

I don't believe it.

ALICE:

What?

BILL:

The guy at the piano. That's Nick

Nightingale, I went to medical school

with him.

ALICE:

He's plays pretty good for a doctor.

BILL:

He's not a doctor. He dropped out. I'm

going to have to say hello to him.

ALICE:

Okay, I'll go and get us some more

champagne.

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BILL:

I'll see you at the bar.

BILL walks over to the bandstand as they finish a set.

BILL:

Nick!.. Nick Nightingale!

NICK:

Hey! Bill Harford! What a surprise.

How the hell are you?

AD LIBS of greetings as they shake hands.

BILL:

God, how long has it been?

NICK:

Ten years?

BILL:

And a couple.

NICK:

How's life been treating you?

BILL:

Not too bad. And you've become a

pianist.

NICK:

My friends call me that.

BILL (laughs)

And how do you happen to playing

here tonight?

NICK:

I know my Cole Porter and I work

cheap.

They both laugh.

NICK:

How about you. Still in the doctor

business?

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BILL:

You know how it is, once a doctor,

always a doctor.

NICK:

In my case, never a doctor, never a

doctor. You _don't_ know how that is.

BILL:

I never did understand why you walked

away.

NICK:

No? It's a nice feeling. I do it a lot.

The BAND LEADER comes over and gives NICK a nod and BILL an

polite smile.

NICK:

Okay, we're off again. Listen, if I don't

catch you later, I'm down in the

Village for the next two weeks, at the

Cafe Sonata. Come by if you get a

chance.

BILL (nods)

Cafe Sonata, right. Okay, and listen, it

was great seeing you again.

NICK:

Same here. Take care.

The band starts up again.

The ballroom is crowded and BILL starts to make his way around the

dance floor to the bar.

ALICE is at the bar waiting for him.

She reaches absently for her champagne glass...

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and finds she is holding - or touching - a man's hand.

ALICE (smiles)

I think that's my glass.

SZABO:

I'm absolutely certain of it.

SZABO is a handsome man, in his mid-forties with a slight Central

European accent.

He drinks slowly from ALICE'S glass and looks directly into her eyes

as he does so.

SZABO:

Did you ever read the Latin poet Ovid

on The Art of Love?

ALICE:

Didn't he wind up all by himself, crying

his eyes out in some place with a very

bad climate.

SZABO:

But he also had a good time first. A

very good time.

SZABO:

By the way, my name is Sandor Szabo.

I'm Hungarian.

ALICE:

Pleased to meet you. My name is Alice.

I'm American.

SZABO:

Would you like to dance, Alice?

ALICE notices BILL across the room talking to two beautiful models.

ALICE:

Why not? - Sandor.

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ACROSS THE ROOM - BILL & THE MODELS

GAYLE, the taller model, shouts to BILL above the music.

GAYLE:

Nobody likes you?

(louder)

GAYLE:

Nobody likes you, is that the problem?

BILL:

Put it this way, nobody _wants_ to admit

how much they like me. But I'm

confident it can still happen.

GAYLE (laughs)

Do you know Nuala Windsor?

GAYLE asks, putting her arm around her friend's waist.

BILL (smiles)

Nuala...I certainly feel like I do. How

do you spell, Nuala?

NUALA:

N..u..a..l..a.

BILL:

Is that a Hawaiian name?

NUALA:

No, it's an agency name.

They all laugh.

GAYLE:

You were very kind to her once.

BILL:

Only once? That sounds like an

oversight.

NUALA:

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I was on a shoot, modelling at

Rockefeller Center, on a very windy

day. You happened to be passing by.

BILL (remembering)

And you got something in your eye?

NUALA:

Just about half of 5th Avenue. You

were such a gentleman.

BILL:

That can happen when you're in a

hurry.

NUALA:

You actually had a _handkerchief_ -

which was also clean!

BILL:

That's the kind of hero I can be

sometimes!

ALICE is dancing with the Sandor. He holds her close to him.

SZABO:

What do you do, Alice?

ALICE:

Well, actually, I'm looking for a job at

the moment. I was an editor at a

publishing house but they went broke.

SZABO:

Perhaps I can be of some help. I know

a few people in publishing.

Alice doesn't reply to this.

SZABO:

And you're married?

ALICE shows him her wedding ring.

SZABO:

And you're here tonight with your

husband?

ALICE:

I am, indeed..

SZABO:

How sad.

Alice makes a that's-life face.

SZABO:

But of course I should have guessed

that. If you weren't with your husband

tonight you wouldn't be so careful.

ALICE laughs.

SZABO:

May I ask why a beautiful woman who

could have any man in this room wants

to be married?

ALICE:

You can ask.

SZABO:

You know why women used to get

married, don't you?

ALICE:

Why don't you tell me.

SZABO:

It was the only way they could lose

their virginity's and be free to do what

they wanted with other men. The ones

they really wanted.

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ALICE:

Fascinating.

SZABO:

Victor and Illona have a fabulous art

collection.

ALICE:

They do, don't they.

SZABO:

Have you ever seen the Impressionist

stuff upstairs?

ALICE:

I don't think so.

SZABO:

There are a couple of magnificent

Bonnards up there.

ALICE:

Are there?

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